The National Weather Service in Reno is forecasting scattered rain and snow showers in the Truckee Meadows during the afternoon commute and into the evening hours.

Chance of precipitation is around 80 percent, but little or no snow accumulation is expected on the valley floor this evening. Winds will be out of the west around 10 mph and temperatures are expected to me in the 40s.

Scattered showers will continue into the evening with any precipitation likely before 10 p.m.

Much needed

A regional storm has brought much-needed precipitation to the area Monday, bringing snow to higher elevations and rain to the Reno valley.

The National Weather Service in Reno said that as of Monday afternoon, there has been around a foot of snow at elevations higher than 8,500 feet and that they have received reports of four and a half inches of snow in the north valleys near Cold Springs.

As for Reno, the airport reported nine-tenths of an inch of rain, but the National Weather Service said that they also received some reports of more than an inch in other areas. Meteorologists don't anticipate anything heavier than rain hitting the valley floor, however.

"It doesn't look like we'll see any widespread snow tonight," said meteorologist Brian Brong. "The heaviest stuff is potentially moving out of the area, but we may see some showers develop in the north part of Reno just in time for evening commutes."

Interstate 80 is currently open with no controls, but Brong advises drivers to check road conditions. Multiple slide-offs were reported by the Nevada Highway Patrol Monday morning.

Tuesday's forecast is mostly sunny with highs in the low 40s. The night will bring colder temperatures with lows in the 20s.

The precipitation bodes well for the region, but Brong is cautiously optimistic.

"To see any relief from the drought, we need a large collection of these storms," he said.

Update 10:20 a.m.:

Rain turning to snow inside the Lake Tahoe Basin on Monday morning has started to stick, but the brunt of the season’s first storm is hitting the Sierra south of Highway 50.

Forecasters with the National Weather Service in Reno said the Tahoe area could get another two inches of snow throughout the day on Monday.

Several power outages were reported in the Reno and Lake Tahoe areas, including one in Incline Village that knocked out power to about 3,500 customers at 7:30 a.m. Power there was restored within a couple of hours.

Another outage in Northeast Reno had about 500 customers without power. The cause was under investigation.

Update 8:25 a.m.:

NV Energy troubleshooting teams are responding to a power outage in Incline Village that has left 3,500 customers without power, according to spokeswoman Fay Anderson.

Outages in northern Washoe Valley are affecting about 1,500 customers and crews have been dispatched to the scene, Anderson said.

The Incline Village outage occurred at 7:23 a.m. and is also affecting Incline Middle School, according to Washoe County School District spokeswoman Victoria Campbell.

Other schools in Washoe County are running normal schedules, Campbell said.

Northern Nevada will get its first widespread freeze of the year sometime this week according to the National Weather Service.

“We hit the 20s in the further out valleys a couple of nights ago but everyone will be facing that in Reno soon,” said Shane Snyder, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Reno. “Anyone who hasn’t had a hard freeze yet will be getting one this week.”

Snyder said the freeze isn’t the only weather change people can expect with snow being a possibility Monday and Tuesday. A moisture cell from Oregon is on a path for Reno and will likely bring some precipitation.

There’s a 60 percent chance of precipitation Monday with snow possibly falling above elevations of 5,500 feet, although little-to-no accumulation is expected. That snow could continue into Monday night, although the chance for precipitation is only 30 percent with a low of around 30 degrees.

Tuesday could see some rain and snow with a chance of 20 percent and a high near 46. The night will bring colder temperatures with a low around 20 degrees.

Snyder said to expect cold temperatures throughout the week with lows in the 20s and 30s before rising to the typical average temperature of 62 degrees. However, he added the average temperature around this time of year drops fairly quickly.

“We don’t see any strong high pressure systems coming in to make the temperature increase,” he said. “It looks like we’re going to stay fairly on the cool side.”

Lisa Braginton, a horticulturist at Moana Nursery, said plant lovers will especially need to consider the temperature drop. While some plants like onions and broccoli will be able to survive the coming cold, other plants like tomatoes, peppers and gardenia need to be brought in before the frost.

“Those are going to need to come in this week,” she said. “It may not get quite cold enough to freeze them at ground level, but there will be temperatures damaging to those plants. Pretty much the season is over unless you’re in a greenhouse or creating a hoop house.”

Braginton said plants need to be treated for bugs before they are brought inside as infestations can quickly arise. She also recommended putting at least two layers of mulch down to help treat the soil during cold months.

“This is a good time if people haven’t already done it and they’re cleaning up their leaves and just generally tending to their garden to put layer of mulch down and then another layer when the ground has solidly frozen,” she said. “That’s going to actively improve the soil under the mulch, retain moisture and help insulate against those extreme weather fluctuations that are really more the enemy of plants in our climate than the cold.”

People tending their lawns and gardens also need to keep supplying moisture to outdoor plants like perennials, shrubbery and trees, Braginton said. They can do this by simply putting their hose on low pressure on a day in 40-degree weather and applying around 20 gallons of water to trees, 10 gallons to shrubs and one gallon for perennials.

While it is near the end of outdoor gardening for the year, it is the beginning of another season important to Northern Nevada. Fans of winter sports like skiing and snowboarding should be able to partake sometime soon. Marcie Bradley, a spokeswoman for Northstar Ski Resort said they plan on opening Nov. 20.

Bradley added they expect a good season with the chance of a stronger than usual El Nino looking more and more likely.

“We’re extremely excited about El Nino,” she said. “We’re optimistic it will give us amazing snowflakes on the mountain. If it doesn’t, we have the best snowmaking in the region.”

Even if there isn’t any natural snow this week, the resort still plans on using the cold temperatures to start their snowmaking operations. Jim Larmore, the director of mountain operations at Northstar, said it’s important to get started around this time to ensure the mountain is covered around Christmas.

“This is like a perfect scenario,” he said. “We’re having a cold front move through. Generally it’s pretty warm at the front of the fronts and then we get some moisture. Looks like we’re going to get some of that. As the front passes then the temperature generally drops, which is going to be Monday through Thursday this week, and it is going to be ideal for snowmaking.”

Here’s the detailed weather forecast for Reno:

Monday: Rain before 4 p.m. with a high near 51. Possible chance of snow above 5,500 feet in elevation with little or no accumulation.

Tuesday: A slight chance of rain and snow showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 46. A 20 percent chance of snow overnight with a low around 26.

Wednesday: A slight chance of rain and snow showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 45. A 20 percent chance of precipitation. Mostly clear with a low around 21 overnight.

For more information, visit the National Weather Service’s Reno website at weather.gov/reno.